Diagnosing the Causes of Poor Performance Management - Assignment Example

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT by Student’s Name Code + Name of Course Institution City/State Professor Date Case Study 4-1 "Diagnosing the Causes of Poor Performance" From the case study, it is evident that Heather possesses excellent knowledge on how to design a training class and integrating modeling and practice into her classes. She has also done a thorough research on what entails good communication skills. However, the rating of Heather by her students is low, especially on the way she responds to specific questions. This is a clear sign that Heather lacks adequate declarative knowledge. According to Silber and Foshay (2009), declarative knowledge can be described as “knowing that” for example, knowing the fact that D is the fourth letter in the alphabet. According to these two authors, declarative knowledge is conscious and is expressible. On the other hand, procedural knowledge can be described as “knowing how” for example knowing how to ride a car. Procedural learning involves implicit learning, which may take place without the knowledge of the learner and may involve being able to utilize a particular form to comprehend without essentially being able to clarify it (Silber & Foshay 2009). It is evident that Heather lacks declarative knowledge and this is the reason as to why she is not able to express the procedural knowledge that she possesses when confronted with questions. Heather knows how (procedural knowledge) to design a training class and incorporating modeling and practice into her classes but does not possess the ability to express that knowledge verbally (declarative knowledge). According to Silber and Foshay (2009), for a professional to be a performer, he or she should possess both declarative and procedural knowledge. The lack of any one of the two types of knowledge leads to poor performance since they compliment each other. The main cause of poor performance recorded by Heather in her workplace is lack of declarative knowledge. According to Aguinis (2009), for any organization to record good performance, it must have effective performance management strategies in place. According to Aguinis (2009), some of these performance management strategies include employee training and reward systems. Heather’s poor performance problem can be solved through training especially on how to express her intrinsic knowledge on communication skills. Heather needs to undergo a thorough training on communication skills and interpersonal skills. It is important that Heather understands the cause of her underperformance so that she embraces the training being offered. According to Aguinis and Kraiger (2009), many poor performance management strategies fail to achieve their objectives because the employees are forced to undergo the training without being explained the personal and organizational benefits derived from the training. The main benefit of employee training is that it enhances the employees’ skills hence improving their performance and that of their organization (Aguinis & Kraiger 2009). With adequate training, Heather will acquire the communication skills needed to express the knowledge she possesses on interpersonal skills and new manager training. Through training, Heather will also gain the skills needed for her to have healthy and productive interactions with her students. Through this way, the student will feel freer to interact with her and ask any questions they might have on the concepts taught in class. Having gained good interaction and communication skills, Heather will gain confidence to face her students and tackle any question asked by her students. If Heather registers an improvement in her performance, she should be rewarded in order to keep her motivated in improving her performance even more. Case Study 4-2 "Differentiating Task from Contextual Performance" According to Bergman, Donovan, and Drasgow, et al (2008), task performance can be described as the roles or activities, which are core in an organization. This type of performance is described by the organization’s official job role. Task performance heavily relies on one’s skills and experience. According to Whiting, Podsakoff and Pierce (2008), task performance has to be complimented by contextual performance for any professional to record good job performance. 
Contextual performance can be defined as the “activities that contribute to the social and psychological core of the organization” (Crede’M et al. 2009, p. 246). In contrast to task performance, contextual performance is voluntary in nature. According to Edwards et al. (2008), many organizations are now viewing contextual performance as of equal importance to task performance. According to Crede’M and others (2009), contextual performance does not only involve an employee’s education level, but also the experience and the expertise of accomplishing the allocated tasks. Contextual performance also puts into consideration the function of the employee in terms of social and psychosomatic impacts on the role of the company as a whole. For instance, while a professional may be adequately trained and possess all the skills required for a particular task, the professional may lack the social skills required to enhance productivity within the work environment. The activities that comprise contextual performance enhance the social as well as psychological environment whereby the task performance operates (Whiting, Podsakoff & Pierce 2008). Some good exemplars of contextual performance are volunteering for extra work, abiding by firm’s laws and regulations even when they are not convenient, assisting other employees just to mention but a few. Based on Bristol-Myers Squibb (DBM) job description for its District Business Manager, there are both task and contextual performance behaviors. They are as grouped below. Task performance behaviors Create the atmosphere to build a ground-breaking culture Generate and articulate a vision Develop as well as converse the business plan Comprehend and elaborate BMS approaches Convert national scheme to business schemes for districts as well as territories Lay aims as well as performance prospects Set precedence Distribute resources Realize and execute the business plan Capitalize on rank order lists of medical education professional-relations Attain best possible coverage regularity of maximum possible physicians Being accountable and achieving outcomes All the above listed performance behaviors focus on core activities that the employee will execute in the organization. It is clear that the effective execution of the above performance behaviors heavily rely on the education and the skills that the professional has in relation to the profession. Contextual performance behaviors Drive improvement by approving diversity and change Be a good example and therefore, shape the organizational culture Build relationships which focus on retaining and attracting customers Develop networks Influence others positively both internally and positively Develop self and others From the list, it is clear that all the stated roles are non-descriptive in nature and require the social and psychological skills of the profession. The listed contextual roles aim at creating a healthy social and psychological environment for the core roles to be executed successfully. It is also quite clear that BMS considers the above listed contextual performance behaviors equally important to the task performance behaviors and this is the reason as to why they are included in the job description. Case Study 4-3 "Choosing a Performance Measurement Approach at Paychex, Inc" Performance can be defined as what an employee can do in terms of accomplishing the roles and responsibilities bestowed upon him or her (Conaty 2012). Therefore, performance measurement can be defined as the process of evaluating what an employee has been able to accomplish in terms of the responsibilities allocated to him or her. According to Conaty, performance measurement is a challenging task, which requires careful attention and sometimes a combination of various approaches. It is clear that at Paychex Inc. the managers in charge of account executives do not observe their performance directly. Therefore, Paychex should heavily rely on results approach to evaluate the performance of their account executives (Kumar, Marwah, Thakar & Gupta 2012). Results approach mainly focuses on what an employee produces Adhikari (2010). On the other hand, behavioral approach to performance measurement mainly focuses on establishing how the employees do the job (Bennett 2009). One of the Paychex’s account executives’ responsibilities is to network in the industries that they sell their products. This means that their behavior or how they do the networking greatly influences their performance. This argument is echoed by Elzinga, Albronda and Kluijtmans (2009) by stating some behavioral factors determine the performance recorded by any professional. It is therefore important that Paychex Company use both the results and the behavioral approaches to measure the performance of their account executives. From the roles assigned to the accounts executives, their results and the executives’ behaviors are obviously related. For instance, the executives are required to carry out a clients’ needs analysis in order to ensure that the products produced meet the clients’ expectations. Therefore, the way the executives do the analysis will be reflected by the clients’ satisfaction with the product produced. This is the reason the company should integrate both the results and the behavioral approaches to measure the accounts executives’ performance. From the table provided in the case study, some of the description that apply to the job of accounts executives include workers skilled in necessary behavior, behaviors and results are obviously related, results show consistent improvement over time, there are many ways to do the job right. All theses descriptions fit the results approach to performance measurement. From the job responsibilities of an account executive in Paychex Inc, it is important that the employee is skilled in the necessary behavior in order to achieve good results. For a person to win clients over and retain them, he or she needs to have the necessary communication and interpersonal skills. The outcomes of the job assigned to an account executive in paychex do not occur in the distant future but show consistent improvement over time. It is easy to know whether or not the clients are satisfied with the products that the company produces after the products get into the markets. Sales and marketing is a complex and challenging task, which makes it necessary for a person to use various strategies in order to do things right. From the case study, it is clear that some of the responsibilities of an account executive have to do with presales and marketing. Therefore, the best approach to measure the performance of an executive on such responsibilities is by use of results-based approach since it is best applicable when there are many ways of doing the job right. Case Study 4-4 "Deliberate Practice Makes Perfect" According to Brett and McKay (2010), deliberate practice can be defined as an activity, which is designed with an aim to improve performance with the assistance of a teacher. It is the kind of practice that is designed with clear goals and objectives. This kind of practice is broken down into well defined elements. These are the elements that the performer intently works on in order to improve his or her skills. Deliberate practice is designed in such a way that it is able to improve professional performance (Ericsson 2009). According to Seville (2010), there are steps that lead to excellence in deliberate practice. The first step is setting goals and objectives of the practice. As Brett and McKay (2010) explain, the set objectives and goals will act as a guide to the performer as he or she undergoes the practice. After setting the goals and objectives, the performer should then repeatedly practice. According to Seville (2010), the key to any successful deliberate practice is repetition. The second step is stretching the ability and challenging oneself (Colvin 2008). This is done both mentally and physically in order to improve. Distraction during practice can disturb the performer psychologically and hence hinder him or her from achieving the set goals. The third step is concentrating (Seville 2010). As explained earlier, there are goals that guide the performer, and this means that the performer should concentrate on the set goals. The performer needs to adapt some specific behavioral actions that will enable him to achieve the set goals. The nest step is feedback. Researchers have pointed out that feedback is essential in deliberate practice but the feedback should be specific. The trainer or teacher should be specific on the kind of feedback given to the performer. The final but not the final step is watching and training. According to Seville (2010), people learn by watching others who are better than they are. However, after watching, the performer should take it to the next step by putting what he or she has observed into practice. Ricardo can deliberately practice his presentation skills in a number of ways. Ricardo should practice his presentation skills regularly and repeatedly (Brett & McKay 2010). Just as the saying goes, practice makes perfect, it is through repetition that Ricardo can gain confidence and hence be a perfect presenter. If Ricardo aims to become an expert in presentation, then he has to allocate much of his time in order to practice regularly. Deliberate practice requires intensity and consistency. Ricardo should practice intensely for short periods without any distractions and then take a break in between the sessions. According to Brett and McKay (2010), feedback is of great importance in deliberate practice. Therefore, in the process of practicing, Ricardo should seek feedback from the expert in alternating doses. The feedback should be simple and very precise to ensure that it is equipped to enable him make any necessary changes. It is also important that Ricardo takes regular regeneration breaks. Researchers point out that relaxing after intense training does not only provide an opportunity to gain more energy but also to reflect on the process and enhance learning. Finally but not the least, Ricardo should have a strong will and discipline himself as these two are key elements that will ensure that he achieves the set goals and objectives. He should create rituals or in other words ritualize the practice in order to have the motivation, the strong will and the discipline necessary for tackling the difficult tasks. Reference List Adhikari, D. R 2010, Human resource development (HRD) for performance management. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, vol. 59, no.4, pp. 306-324. Aguinis , H & Kraiger , K 2009, Benefits of training and development for individuals and teams, organizations, and society, Annual Review of Psychology, vol. 60, no. 451–474 Aguinis, H 2009, Performance management (2nd ed), Upper Saddle River, NJ, Pearson Prentice Hall Bennett, R 2009, Behavioral Perceived importance of performance management metrics among UK theatre companies. An empirical investigation. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, vol. 58, no. 7, pp. 670-693. Bergman, M, Donovan, M, Drasgow, F, Overton, R & Henning, J 2008, Test of Motowildo et al.’s (1997) theory of individual differences in task and contextual performance, Human Performance, vol. 21, pp. 227-253. Brett, N & McKay, K 2010, The Secret of Great Men: Deliberate Practice, Available at: http://artofmanliness.com/2010/11/07/the-secret-of-great-men-deliberate-practice/ [Accessed on: 19 March 2013] Colvin, G 2008, Talent is overrated: What really separates world-class performers from everybody else, New York, Penguin. Conaty, F. J 2012, Performance management challenges in hybrid NPO/public sector settings: an Irish case, International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, vol. 61, no. 3, pp. 290-309. Crede’M et al 2009, Contextual performance and the job satisfaction-dissatisfaction distinction: examining artifacts and utility, Human performance, vol. 22, pp. 246-272. Edwards B. D et al. 2008, Relationships between facets of job satisfaction and task and contextual performance, Applied Psychology: An International Review, vol. 57, pp. 441-465. Elzinga, T, Albronda, B & Kluijtmans, F 2009, Behavioral factors influencing performance management systems’ use, International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, vol. 58, no. 6, pp. 508-522. Ericsson, K. A 2009, Enhancing the development of professional performance: Implications from the study of deliberate practice, In K. A. Ericsson (Ed.), The development of professional expertise: Toward measurement of expert performance and design of optimal learning environments (pp. 405-431), Cambridge, UK, Cambridge University Press. Silber, K & Foshay, W 2009 Handbook of Improving Performance in the Workplace, Instructional Design and Training Delivery, John Wiley & Sons. Kumar, A, Marwah A.K, Thakar, G & Gupta, R.C 2012, Implications of Performance Measurement Approaches on Supply Chain Performance National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012, Available at: http://domsiitr.info/allpaper/Implications%20of%20Performance%20Measurement_Amit%20Marwah_OP025.pdf [ Accessed 19 March 2013] Saville, T 2013, Deliberate Practice, Available at: http://www.thesportinmind.com/weekly-articles/march/deliberate-practice/ [Accessed on: 19 March 2013] Whiting, 
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